Curd and bottle-gourd curry or Majjiga pulusu

This recipe is quite common in most parts of India. Made with sour curd, especially if extra curd is left over and is turning sour, it is converted into this very tasty savoury curry. It can be eaten with rice or rotis too. Some call it Kadi.

Ingredients:

Sour Curd – 2 cups

Besan (Gram flour) or Chana dal (Bengal gram, soaked) – 2 tbs.

Green chillies – 1 - 2 nos.

Ginger – 1 cm.

Raw coconut, grated – 1 - 2 tbs.

Bottle Gourd pieces – 2 cups  

Tomato – 1 no.

Turmeric – a pinch

Salt – to taste

Oil – 2 tbs.

Dry red chilli – 1 no.

Rayi (mustard seeds) – ½ tsp.

Jeera (cumin seeds) – ½ tsp.

Curry leaves – a few

Method:

• Skin and chop bottle gourd into 1 inch cubes or any shape of your choice. Chop tomato into pieces.
• Make a paste of besan / chana dal, green chillies, coconut, ginger in a mixer, adding water. Keep aside.
• Beat the sour curd to a smooth paste adding 2 cups of water. Add the above besan paste to the curd and mix well.
• Take a medium sized cooking dish and put bottle gourd and tomato pieces and pour 1 cup of water into it. Put the dish on the stove and let the vegetable cook for 5 min. Turn the flame to low heat. Pour the curd mixture to the vegetable while mixing continuously. Keep a wooden spoon in the dish and keep stirring continuously or every few minutes. This is to ensure the curd does not split. After 5 min., add turmeric and salt. Let it cook for another couple of min. and then remove from heat.
• Take 2 tbs. of oil in a frying pan and add rayi and jeera, and when they are fried, add red chilli and curry leaves. Pour this oil over the curry and it is ready to eat.

Points to remember:

• Keep stirring continuously to avoid curd splitting.
• Add salt towards the end, or the curd will split.
• In place bottle gourd any other vegetable can be used.

Sweet Potato fry - Savory

Who does not love sweet potatoes! I only know dessert recipes using them, but this time round I wanted to make a savory dish. Surprisingly it turned out quite tasty. Can be eaten with rice or rotis or as a snack too!

Ingredients

• Sweet potatoes – 5 nos. (small size)
• Chilli powder – ½ tsp.
• Mustard powder – ¼ tsp.
• Salt – to taste
• Oil – 2 tbs.

Method:

Clean and boil the sweet potatoes in a pressure cooker.

Skin them and cut into thick (75mm) slices.

Take the oil in a non-stick pan and when it is hot, spread the boiled sweet potato pieces in it. Fry them without turning too often. Sprinkle salt, chilli powder and mustard powder on the pieces. When the vegetable turns light brown, take the pan off the stove.

Mango Pickle (Aavakaya) with plenty of garlic

Raw Mango pickle with plenty of garlic

It is summer time and a time for mangoes. Out of all the varieties of pickles, this Mango pickle (Aavakaya) recipe with plenty of garlic is my favourite. It has loads of flavor, lots of spice, and is made of mango and garlic. I learnt it from a friend; actually exchanged our recipes. It is so tasty; you have to eat it to believe it. Mixed with hot rice and ghee, and papad to accompany, it is heavenly!

Raw Mango pieces

Ingredients

• Mango pieces – 7 cups
• Chilli powder – (less than) , 1 cup
• Mustard powder – (less than) , 1 cup
• Salt – flat 1 cup
• Garlic paste – flat 1 cup
• Garlic, whole pods –
• Methi (Fenugreek) powder – 1 tbs
• Methi (Fenugreek) seeds– 1 tbs
• Jeera (Cumin) powder – 1 tbs
• Jeera (Cumin) – 1 tbs
• Gingelli oil – 2 cups

Method:

Clean and cut mangoes into 1 cubes retaining the shell. Discard the seed.

Roast Jeera and methi and powder them. 

Mix salt, Chilli powder, Mustard powder, Methi and Jeera powders together. Mix garlic paste to the powdered mixture.

Thoroughly mix the masala paste to the mango pieces, in batches, making sure all the pieces are coated with masala.

Heat oil and add jeera and methi. Cool it and pour over the mango pickle. Leave it aside for 3 days. Mix it and store in a ceramic or glass jar and keep the jar in cool and dry place. It is ready to eat and will last a whole year.

Points to remember:

• Mangoes have to be fully grown and firm. Discard soft or ripe mangoes.
• After cleaning the mangoes, wipe them dry and make sure all the dishes are also dry. Dampness causes fungus.
• You can vary the proportion of any other ingredients slightly, but not salt.
• Pickle should be covered with oil. Less oil and pickle will develop fungus.

Abbey Falls, Madikeri